Quirino from drug dealer to elected official

Central Electoral Board (JCE) president Roberto Rosario says there is no legal impediment for convicted drug dealer Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo to run as a candidate in the 2016 presidential, legislative and municipal elections. The capo is one of the most popular figures in his southwestern province of Elias Pina, where he channeled many of his profits to benefit the city of Comendador and rural communities.

Rosario says that if any political party chooses him as a candidate, the JCE cannot prevent this.

As reported in Listin Diario, a group of Elias Pina residents in New York City said they plan to propose an independent political movement to promote Paulino Castillo’s candidacy as deputy for Elias Pina in the 2016 elections.

Convicted to 10 years in jail for trafficking in 1,387 kilos of cocaine by a New York City court after striking a deal with the US judiciary, Paulino Castillo returned to the Dominican Republic on Saturday, 28 February 2015. Diario Libre reported that he is living with his mother in the El Millon neighborhood of Santo Domingo.

A report in El Caribe says that Quirino is seen as a benefactor in his hometown of Comendador. Interviews with children in the town showed that few are aware that he was convicted for drug dealing.

An editorial in El Caribe today, Wednesday 4 March 2015 comments that the capo’s return after 10 years in jail having been able to keep millions and start anew is a negative example for society. In its Tuesday, 3 March 2015 issue El Dia also reported on capo Ernesto Guevara Diaz (Maconi), who has also kept a large part of his drug dealing returns and is free to start anew in the country after being tried and convicted in the United States.